While AAP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday dropped to three from 10, the BJP gained seven new MPs after Raghav Chadha and six others from the Arvind Kejriwal-led party broke away, taking the standalone position of the saffron party closer to the halfway mark in the 245-member House.
With around 113 members, the BJP is just 10 seats short of a standalone majority, making it the most dominant single party in decades in the Upper House.
An increase in the standalone strength will help the government negotiate difficult official business in a better way and also boost the standing of the BJP in the NDA alliance.
With the combined strength of around 148, the NDA is already way past the halfway mark in the House with a majority mark of123. The current functioning strength of the House is 245 members, with 233 elected and 12 nominated.